Water booster system



July 16,- 1963 H. FINZEL WATER BOOSTER SYSTEM Filed Oct. 20, 1961 y V: a M W2 A EW m W N w H M M H Y B United States Patent M 3,097,606 WATER BOOSTER SYSTEM Herman Finzel, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Weil Pump Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 146,515 1 Claim. (Cl. 103-23) My invention relates to improvements in a water booster system especially designed for use in water systems for industrial, commercial and residential use, where there is a heavy drain upon the water system.

An object of my invention is to produce an economical and dependable system of boosting the available water pressure in a building and then maintaining a constant pressure throughout the system although the pressure at the source as well as the demand in the system is constantly changing.

Another and equally important object of the invention is to provide a control for the system which is completely pre-wired, pre-assemb led, and arranged in a single cabinet containing all the components necessary to control the pump in the system.

Another and equally important object of my invention is to provide a control system which incorporates a simple, dependable and easily installed arrangement to prevent unnecessary operation and damage to the pump when demand is placed upon the system.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

The single FIGURE schematically illustrates the Water booster system embodying my invention.

In this connection, indicates a main water supply pipe leading to a pump 11 of any approved construction or design which will best serve the purpose. The output side of the pump 11 through the medium of a pipe 12 communicates with a header pipe 13. Preferably there is incorporated in the main pipe 10 a suitable shut-off valve 14 which is normally open but which may be closed should occasion require. From the header pipe 13, branch pipes 14' extend to supply water to various points within the building.

At an appropriate point in the header pipe 13 is a pipe 15 which communicates with a pressure-responsive element 15 of a proportioning pressure control switch 16 diagrammatically shown in the drawing and including a pressure operated switch blade 17 and contacts 18 and 19 adapted to be alternately engaged by the blade 17. By a lead wire 19, the terminal 20 of the blade 17 is connected to a power line 20', which power line is connected by a line 21 to one terminal 22 of a reversing motor 23, the other terminal 24 of the motor being connected to a power line 24 leading to the other side of a source of supply. The reversing coils of the motor 23 are connected by lines 25 and 26 to the contacts 18 and 19, respectively.

For reasons hereinafter set forth, the switch blade 17 is always in contact with either contact 18 or contact 19. The arrangement is such that when there is a decrease in pressure, the pressure-responsive element 15' will actuate the switch blade 17 in a manner well known in the art, bringing the blade 17 into contact with the contact 18 as shown to cause the motor 23 to rotate in a clockwise direction. When the pressure element is actuated due to an increase in pressure, the switch blade 17 will be moved from contact with the contact 18 into contact with the contact 19 and thereby cause the reversing motor 23 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. The motor 23 is of the type which will rotate in a clockwise and counter- Patented July 16, 1963 clockwise direction through 180 for reasons which will presently become apparent.

The motor 23 operates a wiper arm 27. This wiper arm 27 is part of a variable transformer 28 which has a potential of from zero to volts. When the wiper arm 27 is moved to its highest point, or at the termination of the rotation of the motor 23, it will be in a 110 volt position, and when in its lower or zero position it will be at zero point (as shown). Thus, the voltage potential is varied from zero to 110 volts. The variable transformer 28 has connection by means of a line 29 to one terminal 30 of a rectifier 31, which rectifier 31 is preferably what is known as a bridge type. The wiper arm 27 by a line 32 is connected to a terminal 33 of the rectifier 31 The positive and negative terminals 34 and 35 of the rectifier by lines 36 and 37 are connected to the coils 38 and 39, respectively, of a magnetic clutch 40. The clutch 40 is interposed between the pump 11 and a driving motor 41, the latter having power supply lines 42.

The motor 41 is a continuously operating motor operating at a constant rate of speed, and when employed in the water booster system embodying my invention, it is not subjected to the usual wear and tear which would result if it were required to stop and start in accordance with the decrease or increase of the water pressure in the water system. This I have accomplished by interposing between the motor 41 and the pump 11 the magnetic clutch 40 which controls the demand upon the pump 11 through the required pressure in the Water system to maintain an available water supply. This control of the operation of the pump 11 is brought about by the components of my improved water booster system operating harmoniously in the following manner:

Assuming that the water pressure in the pipe 15 has dcreased because of drain upon the header pipe 13 through the branch pipes 14': The pressure-responsive element 15 of the proportioning pressure control switch 16 will move the switch blade 17 into contact with the contact 18, resulting in the operation of the motor 23 in a clockwise direction, moving the wiper arm 27 likewise in such direction as, for example, from right to left as viewed in the drawing. The movement of such wiper arm will increase the voltage output of the transformer 28 so that the magnetic field of the magnetic clutch 40 is increased by creating stronger eddy currents. This results in an increase in the speed of operation of the pump 11, with the result that the pressure in the header pipe 13 is increased. When the pressure in the header pipe is increased to that called for by the demand of water supply from the header pipe 13, the pressure-responsive element 15' will act accor-dingly and move the switch blade 17 into contact with the contact 19, causing the motor 23 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction to move the wiper arm 27 in a like direction as, for example, from left to right as viewed in the drawing and thus decrease the voltage potential through the rectifier and to the field coils 38 and 39 of the clutch 40, with the result that the magnetic field is decreased by reducing the eddy current. This results in the pump operating at a speed necessary to maintain the required pressure in the header pipe 13.

As before stated, all the component parts of the system, including the proportioning pressure control switch, the reversing motor, the variable transformer, and the rectifier, can be assembled in a single control box. One of the features of my invention results from the fact that the entire system occupies a minimum of floor-space, requires no booster or storage tanks or the starting and stopping of the pump driving motor, the components of the system are relatively few; they are economically operated and easily installed. When demand is made upon the water supply system there is no delay in its delivering, and the pressure at all outlets remains constant.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred from of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1 therefore do not wish .to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A water booster system for industrial, commercial and residential use comprising a constant operating motor, a

pump for delivering water from a supply main to a header pipe, an electromagnetic clutch providing connection between the motor and the pump, means responsive to variation of water pressure in said header pipe resulting from drain of water from the header pipe, for actuating said clutch to vary the speed of operation of the pump while the speed of operation of the motor remains constant, said means comprising a reversing motor having a degree of rotation of 180, a variable transformer actuated by said reversing motor and in circuit with the clutch for varying the magnetic field thereof and having a potential of zero to 110 volts, a rectifier having circuit connections With said transformer, a pressure-responsive switch for controlling the direction of operation of the reversing motor in response to variation of pressure in said header pipe, and a single conduit opening communication between the header pipe and said switch and through which water flows in opposite directions in response to the variation of water pressure in said header pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 887,252 Jackson May 12, 1908 1,012,821 Cutler Dec. 26, 1911 2,093,981 Horton Sept. 21, 1937 2,146,102 Weigand Feb. 7, 1939 2,180,400 Coberly Nov. 21, 1939 2,276,794 Ricci Mar. 17, 1942 2,317,135 Crittenden Apr. 20, 1943 2,408,851 Hillier et al. Oct. 8, 1946 2,850,654 .l'aeschke Sept. 2, 1958 2,972,071 Leonard Feb. 14, 1961 3,007,414 Long Nov. 7, 1961 

